Friday, December 3, 2010

"more" Wikileaks

As I have always maintained, I am full square for leakers and publishers to bring to light of day, government lawbreaking and general malfeasance regardless of the source. And in any case would likely become an urban guerrilla if the government were to take punitive or other coercive methods against our news providers to prevent them from publishing the Assange Files.

But I have no time for anyone leaking classified info for the sole general purpose that they don’t like the US and want to harm it in any way they can. And I believe that the government can request any time they want, that Amazon, a private company to consider the situation and decide to not publish these ill gotten files. It happens all the time, even for serious and substantial leaks, the government requesting news folks to not publish this or that material, and new papers make their own judgments in the cause of public service, versus malicious intent, and sometimes do not publish classified materials.

The point is, there is a line where stealing and publishing such material serves the public good, or it does not and causes, or could case malicious harm.